The race for Senate District 10 representing Warren as well as parts of Bristol and Tiverton at the 2024 General Election is a rematch from two years ago between 13-time incumbent Democrat and Warren denizen Walter Felag Jr. and his Republican opponent, Allyn Meyers of Tiverton.

When they met two years ago, Felag garnered a convincing win, 64.6% to 35.2% or 2,613 votes to 1,422 for his challenger.

Meyers said although he lost by some 1,200 votes he was relatively pleased with the result as he “still came pretty close,” especially since he was a relatively late entry into race just before the end of the usual June filing date.

For Felag, the victory was a continuation of what is now 46 years of consecutive electoral success, dating back to 1978 when he first won a seat on the Warren Town Council. He served in municipal government for 20 years before he was elected to the state’s upper chamber for the first time in 1998.

“I’ve dedicated my life to community service and I feel (the State Senate) is an outreach of community service. I’m honored to serve my constituents, those who live in District 10,” Felag said.

The challenger ...

According to his bio at meyersforri.com, Meyers is currently a Network Engineer/Systems Analyst and has owned his company for 25 years. Prior, he was a high school teacher and AFSCME (American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees) Local President.

Meyers said part of the problem for all three of the municipalities, in general, and one of the reasons why he’s running is to rein in “unfunded mandates” imposed on them by the state.

For example, he noted the plans for two new housing developments at Bettencourt Farms and Penny Lane in Warren, which were either spurred on by state housing legislation or driven by the courts.

Meyers said both are not supported by town residents and won’t truly be “affordable” for anyone involved: the town, its current taxpayers or aspiring homeowners. He also said Warren doesn’t have any of the necessary infrastructure in place to accommodate the projects, nor the ability to pay for those that will be needed.

“No one wants these developments,” Meyers said of the housing plans. “It’s the smallest town in the smallest county in the smallest state. There’s no room for them.”

It’s one thing to point to the ills of the situation, but when asked how he would resolve some of these issues from the State House, how he could bring some bipartisanship, specifically, to the Democratically controlled upper chamber, Meyers pointed to his years of involvement in unions, where he was often as well in the minority as a Republican, but who also served as president of a local for five terms.

“I’ve always been involved in union shops. I’m probably one of the only Republicans to be voted as president of state workers. I think it shows I can work with anyone,” Meyers added, noting the numerous times he was voted into leadership for bargaining units representing iron workers, boilermakers and others.

As for one of the other reasons why he’s running, Meyers claims Felag has lost his way. After being in the State Senate for 26 years and a member of the Warren Town Council for 20, Meyer said his opponent no longer has a grasp on, nor is he responsive to what his constituents desire. He said Felag is on “cruise control” after 46 years in elected office.

“The cruise control issue is problematic. I look at the Senate like the (Roman) coliseum, like Caesar, in this case the Senate President,” Meyers said, referring to the perceived control Senate President Dominick Ruggerio has over the body.

He continued, “(Ruggerio) goes thumbs up, they push the green button (support). He goes thumbs down, they push the red (oppose). And I’m willing to do what my opponent doesn’t. I will knock on people’s doors, listen to what they have to say. We need to get back to working for the people in our district, our constituents, not the senate president.”

One of Meyers’ other main agenda items is that of increased oversight. For instance, he pointed to the need for the installation of an inspector general to oversee the Washington Bridge crisis. Again, he said, “partisanship is the problem and we all suffer” by lack of controls before and since the westbound portion of the structure was shuttered in December of 2023.

Meyers suggested in the end the true cost of rebuilding the bridge, currently pegged at about $450 million, will stretch to “$1 billion” and the repercussions of the situation will linger on the East Bay for decades.

... the Incumbent

Felag’s bio includes being a 1972 graduate of the former Warren High School. He’s also an alum of Providence College, who is now a senior computer software engineer for SEACORP located in Middletown.

He proudly points to his once and ongoing activism for veterans, including his support to eliminate taxes on military pensions and the creation of a “U.S. Bronze Star Medal” specialty license plate.

“I’ve always considered myself a community servant, not a politician,” Felag said. “Prior to the State Senate, I was a Little League coach, a youth soccer coach.

“And I was on the Town Council before there was a Town Manager. Over the years I think I’ve been pretty prudent with money. In my time, our pension systems were always 100 percent funded, and we always were able to put money aside for our departments. I think my strongest point is on budgetary matters. For the last 25 years I’ve been on the Senate Finance Committee. I’m the vice chair. I’ve always considered myself to be fiscally responsible.”

Like Meyers, Felag said he is empathetic about the plight of motorists and business owners in the East Bay affected by the Washington Bridge closure.

“Obviously the impact on East Bay communities was enormous because they bore the brunt of the initial closure,” Felag said. “What I’ve done is work with my colleagues in the East Bay (General Assembly)delegation to open up lines of communication with the public and with the state.

“Remember, this is an executive decision, not a legislative one. The governor decided to close the bridge. The governor is picking the contractor, awarding the bids, not the legislature.”

Felag pointed to the new law the Assembly passed during the 2024 session, requiring Rhode Island Department of Transportation officials and others within the administration to report back monthly on the bridge project. He also noted the Assembly approved $83 million to match federal funding to remove and rebuild the structure. As well, he referred to the $2 million set aside to provide grants to area businesses hurt most by the crisis and said he would be in favor of additional funding.

“Most definitely I would support more grants. What we did this time was just a drop in the bucket,” Felag added. “We should be securing more grants for those business, especially those greater impacted. And I’m for grants, not loans.”

As for those aforementioned Warren matters concerning housing developments, Felag too said he opposed those locally and state-wide. He noted his vote against the package of housing legislation that did pass the Assembly in 2023 and 2024.

“I was pushing for federal Section 8 inclusion,” said Felag, referring to the low-income abbreviation not included in the bills approved. “Saying Warren’s affordable housing is only 3.4 percent does not truly paint a realistic picture. If you include those who receive Section 8 subsidies it’s closer to 9 percent. And if you include all the small cottages and individuals who rent at below market rate, it’s well above 10 percent ... The state in its wisdom is trying to do a one-size-fits-all solution, but it doesn’t work for everyone. I commend those who put forth the legislation, but there’s obviously some issues with it.”

Of Bettencourt Farms and Penny Lane, specifically, Felag said, “Those projects shouldn’t be on the table.”

Going forward, Felag said he would like to see taxes on pensions be eradicated, much in the same way he helped rid those on veterans and on automobiles. He would at least like to see the current Social Security and retirement income exemptions be increased from their current respective $20,000 and $50,000.

"I’m working for my constituents," Felag added. "That’s why I’m always out and in community talking with residents and being very approachable. I’m listening to their thoughts and words of wisdom and putting that forward into legislation.”